Cyberman Cosplay construction 6 of ?

Dec11-Jan 8 Weeks left…now….5!

Hello, Happy Holidays Geeks. It’s been some time since I last updated this blog and quite a few things have happened in the interim. Holidays have happened; a New Year has come to us. And there has been…..a little bit of work done on the Cyberman. This holiday season I was gifted the FLU! It really did a number on me (so much so that I went to Urgent Care on Christmas Day) and it has taken all this time to really feel like I’m back to full health. And with this New Year and new energy, I’m starting to get my drive and ambition back again.

We were able to pattern out and make the knee pieces which was an interesting process. Going from a convex to a concave motion in one piece was definitely interesting. We took out time really getting the pattern to the right size and shape in a tag board first before making it out of foam. They are going to sit and attach at the top of the boot.

We also created a pattern piece and made the pauldons (shoulder pieces) within this time. We own some other pauldrons and looked at them for general sharp and sizing before making our pattern.

Still not back to my full health at this point, I did what any normal Geek would do: fret. I was nervous that I wouldn’t be able to finish everything within the deadline and that the cosplay would be partially finished. No one wants to see ( and I don’t want to wear) a half finished CyberMaster Leader. So when I fret I usually start to try and reassure myself. It was a great moment to pause and see how much I had already finished and notice things I still had not acquired!. I needed an athletic long sleeve undershirt to go under this whole thing! I needed gloves to build the hands from! I needed a way to strap this whole thing to itself and to me! It was crazy that I had missed do many of these crucial details. The rest has been ordered and most have already made their way to me so I can use them in the shop this week.

Just like the Cybermen, they aren’t a villain in every episode and then all of a sudden, BAM! They are back! And also like the Cybermen, I warn you, I’m ready. Prepare to be “DELETED!” …or amazed…. I don’t know the analogy really got away from me there.

Stay tuned and stay Mythic out there Geeks!

Cyberman Cosplay construction 5 of ?

Dec 11-Dec 18 Weeks left-9

As the holidays approach, I’m finding less and less time for cosplay construction and more and more time for shopping.  It will soon flip (and probably give me whiplash) but until then I see how many weeks left and how much of the to do list there is and I’m starting to sweat a little.

This week, I finished the Cyberman “collar” and made the appropriate file for it to be cut out.  I’m having this outsourced to a friend who knows what they’re doing to help time and skill level.  Let this be a lesson: It is okay to ask your friends for help with your cosplay! Especially if they know what they’re doing. No harm in asking. I can’t wait to see this collar when it is all done. It certainly is the “statement piece” of the outfit. I’m excited to see how it turns out. 

I wasn’t able to head into the shop this week, but that didn’t stop me from working at home. We decided to get some pattern pieces done of the rest of the boot and my thigh.  We also made the Cyber man “pants.” How do you make patterns you ask? Any cosplayer will tell you all you need is a LOT of tape and some scissors. Yup, tape. You put the tape sticky side up around the thing you want a pattern of (In this case, the boot or my thigh) and then place tape sticky side down over that. Gently cut off the tape and you are done! 

It looks pretty weird when it comes off you, but it works like a charm.  I know these pieces will fit because we used my body as reference. We only made a pattern for on leg and half the pants because you just make a reflection on the foam and you have the rest.  I know plenty of cosplays who have made armor patterns, corset patterns and plenty more with this useful hack.

Next week, I’m hoping to get more details done on the shoes and chest piece so we can start thinking about the corset. I’m getting close to having most of the big pieces done and then….. the devil is in the details.  Stay Mythic out there Geeks!

Cyberman cosplay construction 4 of ?

Dec 4-11 Weeks left- 10

We kept plugging away at the shop. Appa watched us as we worked on the chest piece (It’s really starting to take shape!) and the shoes. It was a flurry of foam, sanding and glue!

The chest piece was a bit of a puzzle to figure out. We finally had to watch a bit of a doctor who episode to see the back of the chest piece and understand how all the parts align with each other. The other thing I noticed immediately, and I was warned about this, was how big the pattern was.  We might have to cut and sand some pieces down so it fits me. 

We were really excited to work on the shoes because we got to make our own pattern for this.  We decided to give me a little height by working with a platform shoe (Just like what I did with the Minotaur so many years prior) and began heating foam and curving it to the shoe. Once there were a few pieces of that I glued them together to push out the toe more.  When you have 5.5-6 size feet and you try to add height, it can look like I’m on my toes the entire time. We sanded and beveled a top and things are really starting to come together. I can’t wait to add little details to the top and around the leg!

After the shop, I had a huge setback in my personal life which grinded things to a halt for the weekend. The file for the Circular Gallifreyan is almost ready to be used. I knew this was going to take a lot of weeks, but I’m starting to worry If I might be falling behind. Might have to kick it into high gear for next week. Stay Mythic out there Geeks!